Education in Matlock first began as early as 1647 when Mr George Spateman of Tansley gave 80l. [£80] to found a free school in Matlock. Anthony Wolley, in 1668, left a further 5l. [£5] per annum. By 1817, the Lysons record there was an annual income of 43l. 14s [£43 14shillings][6]. In 1857 the annual income was £36 per annum - £30 to the school master; £2 for incidental expenses; £4 to the poor[7]. At that time the school was open to the sons of all the inhabitants of Matlock, 40 of whom were appointed by the trustees. They were taught free, "apart from a small charge for providing books and fire[7]". Writing in 1862, Francis White said that "having become greatly dilapidated, a handsome new school was built of stone in 1829, on Tagg Hill. Robert Bunting is the master. The Girls' School, Matlock Town, was built by subscription, in 1816. Ann Cumming, teacher[8]". New buildings were erected for Matlock Town Endowed School in 1860 and 1889 to educate some 250 children. In 1871 "The Derby Mercury" reported that "this school, which has recently been rebuilt, has been placed under government inspection. A very handsome headmaster's desk has been presented by Captain Arkwright, M.P. The committee of management have appointed Mr. B. Owen, late of Youlgreave school, as their master ...[9]". By 1891 the average attendance was 100 boys and girls and 60 infants (these attendance figures from Kelly's Directory[1891]).			There is a list of pupils who applied to the Trustees in 1814 elsewhere on this website site 19th Century Lists : Matlock School Charity, 1814
			Masters/mistresses have included: Benjamin Owen, master[see 1871 census] Joseph Bamford, master[1876] Mrs. Angela Bamford, mistress[1876] Joseph Sladen, Master[1891] Miss Sarah Jane Sladen, mistress[1891] Thomas Henry Williams*, Master[1895, 1908] Miss Sarah Jane Sladen, mistress[1895, 1908] Thomas Henry Williams* and Miss Sladen[1916] George Smith[1925] *T.H. Williams joined up in WW1; during his absence G. E. Kenworthy became acting headmaster but Kenworthy himself then joined up and was subsequently Killed in Action (see Names of Matlock's Memorial)

When Miss Sladen retired from her post as headmistress of the Town school, the "High Peak News" of 15 Nov 1919 reported that two days before she had been presented with a testimonial. Seventeen guineas had been collected from "a very large number of people of all ages" and Canon Kewley, the rector, and the "Testimonial Committee" presented the gift together with a list of all the subscribers to her in her Bank Road home.

Former pupil Tim Lomas writes that between 1966 and 1970 there were 3 members of staff: The infants teacher was Mrs McDonald, the lower juniors were taught by Mrs Brough and the upper juniors teacher and headmaster was Gordon Sidney Ecob.

Children who lived at Artist's Corner in Matlock Dale reached the school by crossing the River Derwent by the footbridge and then walked up the Pic Tor footpath. The school building has now been converted into three dwellings and the adjacent school house, built on a bend in the road, was demolished some years ago. There is now a new school, St. Giles primary, which is next to Highfields Lower School further up the hill.

The British School, Matlock Green (formerly a Congregational chapel) was erected about 1863 for 350 pupils. In 1891 Edwin Davis was master; Miss Elizabeth Bridge was the mistress; the average attendance was 150 boys and girls and 50 infants^[1891]. Davis was still the master in 1895 and Miss Elizabeth Beck had become infants' mistress^[1895]. The Matlock School Board toook over the school in 1895 and Bryan states that this school was closed on 1st June 1896^[3].
See Chesterfield Road, Matlock (below)

In October 1873 the Education Department declared that the "school accommodation for the elementary education of the children of the parish was deficient" (Bryan, p. 231[3]). This disgraceful situation was mostly due to the massive development of the Bank - i.e. building the various hydros, shops and houses - which had led to an enormous increase in the child population of the town. As I have already written, families in the nineteenth century tended to be large so there was an urgent need for another school. After considerable debate in early 1874, including the ratepayers deciding by a large majority that a School Board was not necessary for the parish of Matlock, the Churchmen of the parish finally provided a voluntary school and a site was bought from the Rev. John Woolley.

All Saints' School

Mrs. James Arkwright laid the foundation stone on 6 November, 1874 and the Church National School (mixed) - All Saints - was opened on 10th August 1875 for 200 pupils. It had cost £1,000 to build. Architects had been invited to submit drawings and "a design by Mr. Skedward, of Sheffield, was selected ... The new building having been completed, the opening ceremony took place on Tuesday [10th August], under the presidency of Captain Arkwright, M.P. ... The Rector moved a vote of thanks to the subscribers. ... Mr. and Mrs. Wright, of Bradford, had very kindly promised to present the school desks for the use of the children, and to give a reading desk and pulpit when the room was used as a Mission-room^[10]". Those present enjoyed a "sumptuous tea^[10]".

At that time there was no church in Matlock Bank and Rev. Adam Lowe held his services in the school until All Saints' Church was built some years later. In 1891 the average attendance of pupils was 163^[1891]. An infant's school was built in 1899. By 1903 there was 'accommodation for upwards of 400 pupils' (Bryan, p. 232^[3]).

Peter Aspey was a pupil at All Saints in the 1950's and was shown around the building a few years ago, writes: "The main thing I can remember are the old wooden desks with ink wells - and on my visit I saw they were still there, only no ink pots in them now!" Another pupil comments that the "temporary" classrooms were there and looking less than new when he was a pupil in the 1960's but today some pupils are educated at the Hurd's Hollow site instead. Mark Whitehead recalls the teaching staff from his time as a pupil (1957-63). The teachers were Mrs Geeson (reception), Mrs Hill, Miss Land (top infants' class and headmistress), Mrs Horner (only there for about a year as a stand-in; she was the wife of the Headmaster at Ernest Bailey), Miss Muir (Mrs. Burkimsher), Mrs Bagshaw, Mr Stevens (churchwarden) and Mr Charles Laughton ("who was probably the best teacher I ever had"). Mr Burkimsher was the Headmaster.		Masters/mistresses have included: Henry Barnard , master[1887, 1891] Miss Clara Evans, mistress[1887, 1891] Robert H Baker, master[1895] Miss Catherine Brown, mist.[1895] Robert H Baker, master[1908] Miss Catherine Brown, mistress of the infants[1908] Robert H Baker, master[1916] Miss Gertrude Roberts, mistress of the infants[1916] Robert Charles Newman, master[1925] Miss Ethel E. Smith, mistress of the infants[1925]
All Saints' School, another view		Several old photographs of the teachers and pupils, dating from around the year 1900, have been published in various books and booklets about Matlock. References - Books and Other Publications Many original photographs are held by the Derbyshire Record Office Contacting the Derbyshire Record Office (onsite link) Also see: About All Saints' Church

Mrs Thornewill conducted a Church School here in 1872 and by 1875 some 50 children were attending. The National School (mixed) was built of gritstone and opened at Easter 1879 for 80 pupils. At a Concert held in the school a short while later, F. C. Arkwright said that "during the six months the school had been opened, a very marked improvement was noticeable in the appearance of the children, and latterly the attendance had been greatly improved also^[12]". In 1891 the average attendance was 40^[1891].

The original school building closed and was demolished in about 1965; it was suffering badly from subsidence and gradually slipping down the hillside. Pupils were then educated in supposedly a "temporary" building across the road, which became long term accommodation. This also closed and now pupils from Starkholmes attend St. Giles.

Behind the purple doors on the photo was a lobby, at the back of which were the cloakrooms. There were only 2 classrooms: the infants on the left and the juniors on the right. There was also the head's office beyond this and, at the far right hand of the school, quite a palatial kitchen. The roll of the school was falling - it was 56 children in 1980 - and the school closed in the late 80s/early 90s with the children transferring to what was then 'the Town school' (St Giles' school was built later). The wooden 'temporary' building was taken down in about 1991." See: Matlock Town and Green (above) for info about the Town School. There's even the milk crate on the picture - for those who can remember the days of (warm) free school milk. Another teacher, and one who was at the school for many years, was Miss Madge Lees of Matlock Bath. She was one of the daughters of W.H. Lees, a former headteacher at Matlock Bath (see below).

The Church National School (mixed) - Holy Trinity - was built in 1853 for 300 pupils. It was erected on the tufa shelf, not far from the New Bath Hotel and Masson Mill, between what is now the road to Cromford and the River Derwent. The stone building cost £1,200. The money was raised from subscriptions, a parliamentary grant of £205, the National Society gave £50 and the Lichfield Educational Board gave £10^[8].

The school's entrances and classrooms were at road level, with a basement level below them for the headmaster's residence. The schoolroom was 55 feet in length and 33 feet wide; this was later divided into four by folding wooden and glass partitions. Underneath the building were the separate vaulted playgrounds for boys and girls; the pupils were able to look, through the railings, down on the river Derwent some distance below.

In 1857 Mr John and Mrs. Cope were the master and mistress and the average attendance was 130^[7]. White's Directory of that year recorded that "there is a library of about 230 volumes in connection with the school, which is free to all children but other parties pay an annual subscription of 5s [shillings] and 2s and 6d [pence] or 1d [penny] per. volume^[7]".

By 1876 George James Rowland was the master and his wife, Mrs. M. M. Rowland, was the mistress^[1876]; they were still there in 1891 and the average attendance then was 100^[1891]. By 1903 the headmaster no longer lived on the premises, but the Church Sunday School was still held here. Mr. William Henry Lees A.Mus. T.C.L. had become the headmaster by 1908^[1908] (also there in 1916^[1916]); it was Mr. Lees who taught this writer's father, giving him a life long love of music and art. John Joseph Stirland succeeded Mr. Lees and was the third of the school's headmasters to live on Clifton Road^[13]. He was followed by Mr. Saint, who moved to Bailey's to teach Physics in 1950; the webmistress was chosen, as the school's youngest pupil, to present a bouquet to Mrs. Saint.

Mr. Kenneth Bannister (1950-57) followed on from Mr. Saint. Mr. Bannister loved cricket and had captained Matlock Cricket Club for seven years; in 1950 he became the first Matlock player to take 500 wickets in postwar cricket. He moved away from Matlock and Mrs. Moore then became headmistress. She was followed by Mr. Scott.

Amongst the staff, Miss Annie Walker was a well respected class teacher at the beginning of the twentieth century. During the late 1940's the teachers included Miss Gregory of Common Wood, Miss Lawton, Mr. Carter and Miss Peach who ran the cubs and lived next door to the webmistress. Mrs. Agnes Ethel Clay of Orchard Road, sister to Charles White, also taught at the school and in the 1950's Mrs. Wright from Cromford Market Place, Mrs. Cresswell from Wirksworth and Mr. Charles ("Billy") Bourchier were members of staff. Both Mr. Carter and Mr. Bourchier, who went on to be head at Stanton, had been in the airforce during the war. It was Mr. Bourchier who took the older boys gardening on the school's allotments on Clifton Road. The boys also went to the school at Lea for woodwork lessons. Another teacher there in the 1960s was Miss Monger.

In Mr. Lees time the pupils were taught to write using Copperplate 'Roundhand' and used both pencils and pen and ink for their work. Pupils in the 1950's used the 'Marion Richardson' style of writing. They did not wear a school uniform.

The building is no longer a school and the school itself moved some years ago closer to the church, to a site on Clifton Road.

There's a little more information about the pupils and school sports elsewhere on the site.
Old Pavilion and Royal Hotel

Grammar School pupils in the 1950's were expected to stay at school until they were at least 16, though Matriculation had been replaced by "O" (Ordinary) level examinations - pupils sat for a variety of subjects. Those staying on until 18 specialized with their chosen "A" (Advanced) levels and usually studied only three subjects. In the year 2000 all pupils took GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations usually in the academic year they attained 16. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

One of the early headmasters was Dr. E. H. Chapman. The headmaster at the end of WW2 was Mr B. C. Orme ("Kong"). One former pupil comments that "he also played the viola and, together with my mother's influence, engendered a love and interest in music which I have retained (only as a keen listener, I would add). He was always keen that EBGS should compete in Music Festivals. I still remember singing with the school choir at the the Pavilion in the Matlock Bath Music Festival". Keith Beardow was a pupil at Baileys from 1942 to 1948 and says that in his time at the school the teachers were:

The New Street site was limited for space and pupils were transported to the sports grounds in Cromford Meadows for rugby, hockey etc. The old boys rugby club was known as the Old Baileans (now Matlock) and was very successful.

The school eventually merged with Charles White's (see below) and the older pupils moved to new premises on Chesterfield Road. Although Ernest Bailey's name is no longer linked to Matlock's present secondary school as it is now called Highfields School, his name is still associated with the building it was originally in. Derbyshire's County Record Office is now located in the Ernest Bailey building - which is the old school building. On a relatively recent visit to the County Record Office one correspondent learned that the old gymnasium had been converted for storage and that they can accommodate several miles of shelved records.

The following quotation gives an insight into the kind of man Ernest Bailey was.

"Ernest Bailey, benefactor, had many mills. One day he moved out of his home and 34 boys moved in. Over almost 40 years, 450 of 'Bailey's Boys', waifs and strays, were fed, clothed and educated, many eventually finding work in his mills. The house carried on as a children's home; nursery nurses came to train there and were a familiar sight with their huge prams and tiny charges^[14]."

Bailey's house was Cliffe House on Matlock Green and it became St. Andrew's Home, run by the Church of England Waifs' & Strays' Society. There are various directory entries for this.
Kelly's Directory, 1908 is one example.

Ernest Bailey's Grammar School, July 1947. Pupils and Staff

Although Charles White's was not opened as long ago as all the other schools mentioned on this page (see above), a large number of local children were educated there from the middle of the 1950's onwards until the school's amalgamation with Bailey's - when the name changed to Highfields School and the older pupils moved to a different part of the town. Tim Lomas, formerly a Matlock resident, estimates that the total of the children attending Charles White's in any one year outnumbered those who went to Bailey's by around 3 : 1.



To fulfil the educational needs for the children over 11 who were not catered for by Bailey's Grammar, Charles White's school was purpose built and erected by Derbyshire County Council on Starkholmes Road. The building sits on the hillside below Riber and can be seen quite clearly from almost anywhere on Matlock Bank. The architecture is typical of the 1950's. The photograph above shows what was the Secondary Modern, but is now Highfields Lower School. The new St. Giles' Primary is next door but is out of shot.

Pupils were able to leave school at the Easter in the year they were 15 until the school leaving age was raised (1971/2?). Those who who stayed on until they were 16 were able to sit for CSE examinations (Certificate of Secondary Education). These examinations no longer exist - they have been replaced by GCSE's. The school's headmaster for many years was Mr. Watcham.

Charles Frederick White Junior (1891-1956), after whom the school was named, was the only son and namesake of a former Liberal Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire. He became M.P. himself for the constituency in 1944, first as an Independent Labour and then as Labour, and served until 1950. He had been a member of Derbyshire County Council for many years and was its Chairman in 1946. His sisters were also involved in education, but in the private sector.
See Private schools (below)

Hunt Bridge House School, Matlock In 1873 the following advertisement was placed in "The Derby Mercury": "THE DUTIES of this ESTABLISHMENT, which has been improved and enlarged by the addition of an adjoining house, will be resumed, July 30th W. C. CLARKE, Principal[16] Before that time it was known as the Matlock Green Academy.			Hunt Bridge House School (Green Academy) appears in the on site census transcripts See the 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 on site census transcripts Mr. Clark(e)'s name also appears in many 19th century directories
Cavendish School, Smedley Street In 1881[1881] Joshua Allen from Chudleigh in Devon was in partnership with his brother, Caleb, and they advertised as running a "young gentlemen's day & boarding school". The census of that year describes their school as Lime Tree Lane "College" although later returns show it as the Cavendish School. Maurice Sidney Nesbitt B.A. had taken over by 1908[1908] and in 1916 the school was a boys and girls day school run by Edward V W Bynnes-Kingsley[1916]. The school was in the large building opposite the old Paton & Baldwin's factory. The school received some less than favourable press when, in 1918, The Daily News reported a "Disgraceful Escapade of Gang of Matlock High School Boys" as some pupils had apparently broken into the school overnight[15]. Somewhat earlier than that the webmistress's grandfather had been a pupil.			The Cavendish School in the on site census transcripts See the 1881 | 1891 | 1901 census returns when Joshua Allen was the Schoolmaster. In 1881 Joshua Allen was in partnership with his brother, Caleb, Lime Tree Lane "College"
Matlock Garden School, boarding school for girls and junior boys. Mrs Albert Law, principal[1925]. By 1932 this had become Matlock Modern School[1932], with the same principal. The address given was Rutland Street, and was in the building formerly known as Matlock House Hydro. However, when it first opened the school was at Tor Cottage.			Matlock House Hydro in 1888. It became Matlock Modern School Tor Cottage, at one time the home of Matlock Garden School, later became the High Tor Guest House / Hotel
Riber School Rev John William Chippett, formerly a master at Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire, bought Riber Castle from the Smedley family in 1892 as he wanted to open a boarding preparatory school. In 1922 Captain Lionel Gathorne Wilson, M.A., took over the "preparatory school for boys for public schools, Riber Castle"[1925] although Rev Chippett continued as a teacher. The school closed in 1930.			Mr. Chippett's School at Riber Castle Matlock Bath: Fountain Baths, Swimmers From Riber School Riber Castle, Matlock : A Classroom A Peep at Riber Castle Also see: About Riber Riber Castle School "A Lesson in Matlock's History" Riber School in the 1901 census
Woodlands Preparatory School, or Miss White's Miss White's school began as a very small venture in the family home on Bakewell Road, which was called "The Woodlands", and the school remained there for about 20 years or so. Kelly's Directory (1941) records Miss Winifred Alice White, principal on Bakewell Road. At the end of the Second World War, two of the White sisters bought the former Oldham House and Prospect Place Hydro on Wellington Street. Oldham House and Prospect Place had been run for many years as a hydro by the Davis family, until the outbreak of the War when the building was requisitioned one weekend. The school was often called simply "Miss White's". It eventually closed in 1965.			Woodlands School (Miss White's) & Oldham House Hydro Blazer badge, provided by former pupil Rosemary Lockie

The Misses Peall ran a "Ladies' School" in Matlock Bath
Their first advertisement, saying they had recently removed to Matlock Bath, appeared in April 1867^[17]. The sisters offered a thorough grounding English, French and German, with the usual accomplishments. The address they provided was Armitage House and shortly afterwards they were at Temple Terrace. For several years their school was at Brunswood House and they then moved to one of the houses in Fountain Villas. At first they advertised for parents seeking a Preparatory School for their sons, where healthy discipline and home comforts were combined; in 1873 Miss Helen Peall was also educating gentleman's sons at Violet Cottage, Matlock. The sisters were in Matlock Bath for alittle over 20 years before moving to St. Leonard's-on-Sea shortly before the Spring Term of 1889.
See the 1871 census | 1881 census
North Parade, Matlock Bath, 1908

Clifton College, Matlock Bath
The Misses Picken, of Brunswood Terrace, also educated girls.
See the 1881 census | 1891 census | 1901census
Also see trade directories - Kelly's 1895 | Kelly's 1899 | Kelly's 1908